1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to towing hitches, and particularly to a towing hitch which permits the towing of a lawn mower behind a riding vehicle such as a garden tractor or riding lawn mower.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is becoming an increasingly common practice by people who have a large area of grass to mow to pull a mower behind a riding mower. By having the mower being pulled traveling in a slightly different parallel path than that traveled by the riding mower, more of the grass can be mowed in a given time. Further, a conventional push-type lawn mower can frequently cut closer to trees and other obstructions than can a riding mower. A problem arises, however, when there are trees or similar obstructions placed at random in the area being mowed, inasmuch as with the usual fixed towing hitches the riding mower cannot be taken any closer to the tree or other obstruction than will permit the lawn mower being towed to pass by the obstruction.
It is generally known to mount mowers, harvesters, and the like, on tractors in such a manner that the relationship of the cutting device can be varied with respect to the tractor. Examples of prior art arrangements for this purpose can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,166,967, issued July 25, 1939 to C. R. Raney et al.; 2,838,901, issued June 17, 1958 to H. W. Davis; and 3,545,184, issued Dec. 8, 1970 to A. Liepold et al.; and 3,665,685, issued May 30, 1972 to J. Allard. A difficulty with these known mowing devices, however, is that the hitch is an integral part of the mower or harvester itself, and accordingly the hitch is not suited for connecting a lawn mower behind a riding mower or other tractor.